and outside boston, traffic came to a halt on the massachusetts turnpike. a backup of headlights and tail lights, 40 miles long putting the brakes on early-goers. how busy are the highways? triple a says more than 40 million people will go out on the holidays, 90% hitting the road. nearly half of them today. air travel is down slightly, gas prices and hotel rates are about the same as last year. but the cost of rental cars has spiked 27%. that is, of course, if you can find one. in the northeast, hurricane sandy wiped out a lot of inventory, forcing many people like this man to change their rental car plans quickly. >> i never thought i would leave la guardia to pick up a u-haul, who wants to show up to a family thanksgiving in a moving truck? >> reporter: well, as long as it is moving like the traffic tonight that is a good thing. now the rental company and the sour economy have caused a lot of people to get on the bus. some 600,000 people are expected to get on the bus, it is a trend we expect to see now until the end of the year. >> ron mott, safe travel